Just as the thread title goes, does anybody wish their bike broke down more or needed maintenance more often?

I found myself utterly disappointed this afternoon when I checked the chain on my road bike only to discover that it's still perfectly good and I still don't have a reason to fit the fancy gold ultra-light titanium nitride chain I got for it almost a year ago now (original chain that came with the groupset still there). I don't ride very much (did less than 5000 km last year) and it's spread over two bikes so I find that I never get a chance to tinker with them in my shed. I still haven't worn through my first set of tyres on any of my bikes, I never break spokes or anything else, my gears remain stubbornly functional, never changed brake pads, never changed a chain due to wear. The best I get is the occasional creak and cleaning/oiling my chains when they need it but I find myself driven to buy new things to fit to my bikes to satisfy my urges!

Hmmm, yes. I sometimes completely reconfigure my bike just for something to do. Last time I changed from disc on the front to V brake with the change of fork and wheels just to see what it would be like. It turned out to be a squealing disaster, so I changed back to disc.

NO... you can help with some of mine if you want .Just been in the cellar rebuilding another bike for training... would rather I had a team mechanic to do it all though ... trying to keep 7 bikes in running order is a PITA!. More so as I don't have enough wheelsets to go around.

If you have enough bikes, there's always at least one that needs work done on it

It also allows you to take a bike out of action for a while and do larger or experimental work on them, without worrying about leaving yourself bikeless if it doesn't work. Like my old MTB which has been part-way through conversion into a tourer for quite a few weeks now. Not enough hours in the day to do all the bike maintenance my fleet want...

As far as chain wear goes, I buy 3 chains, a cassette and chain rings. Put the new bits on and run the first chain for 1000km. Second chain also 1000km. Third chain for 2000km, then go back to the first for another 1000km. I'll try the 2nd chain again after that but by then it's possibly time to start again.

I also just spent a couple of hours removing a snapped shock-eye bolt. I had to revert to drilling it and customising a tool with the angle grinder. Luckily no other damage was caused when the bolt broke, although I did change the DU bushing while I was at it. This sounds like the sort of job you would enjoy but, frankly, I could have done without it.

Sharkey wrote:Take up mountain biking - things wear out or break much more often.

+1

If you want to do maintenance on bikes, take up MTBing and Cyclocross. Not only potentially more fun then just riding around the road, but a endless challenge of cleaning and replacing mud worn parts and bits that sticks and rocks have broken off.

Do what I do... Go off to some far flung place with a team... The rougher the roads the more work needs doing. Of course you don't get to ride your own bike at all, but it's all good fun!.Tour de Maroc is my next trip in a couple of days ... Sunshine !!!.

there is a balance between how much riding you do, and how much time is left to maintain your bikes. it sounds like you're not riding enough.

i have a permanent, but constantly evolving list of maintenance tasks.- fix the driveline roughness on my training roadie (current theory is caused by recycling quick-link on new chain/cassette).- set up the FD trim on my racing roadie (Di2)- rebuild RS Tora suspension forks for my hardtail- replace worn sprockets on cassette of my hardtail (only the 5th and 6th sprockets are worn - i know this is dodgy).- fix the creaking on my training roadie when i apply pedal pressure (no idea what this is, could be any number of things)- align the brake pads on my racing roadie, which i noticed were overlapping the rim lip as they came ex-factory.- raise the seat post slightly on my HT- fix the cracked FB lever handlebar mounting bracket on my duallie (caused by hitting tree at '12 otway odyssey)- retape the handlebars on my training roadie- lube the squeaky jockey wheels on the RD of my HT- clean my training roadie (currently covered in filth)

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